Centre for Competitiveness of the Visitor Economy (COVE) logo

Centre for Competitiveness of the Visitor Economy

We are addressing competitiveness issues in the visitor economy across firm, sector and destination levels.

Research aims

We aim to address equality and diversity in employment and conduct studies of future labour markets, productivity, career mobilities, skills, flexible employment and entrepreneurial migration, while examining other aspects of competitiveness at both firm and destination levels, such as advances in destination branding, visitor satisfaction, innovation, revenue management, and risk and disaster impacts.

We also aim to maintain our world-leading position in demand-forecasting research, which provides a scientific foundation to support businesses’ and governments’ decision making to improve their competitiveness.

Person carrying passport at the airport

Covid-19 research in hospitality and tourism

Our research aims to understand the needs and requirements of businesses and travellers to be able to return to a new normality when it comes to travelling and the prosperity of businesses.

Research projects

Life after-death: knowledge trajectories after innovation failure

Principal investigator: Dr Isabel Rodríguez

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End date:

Start date: January 2023

End date: December 2024

Start date: November 2022

End date: November 2022

Start date: August 2022

End date: March 2023

Start date: May 2022

End date: July 2022

Start date: March 2022

End date: June 2022

Start date: September 2021

End date: September 2022

Start date: March 2021

End date: August 2021

Start date:

End date:

Start date:

End date:

Start date:

End date:

Start date: January 2020

End date: December 2021

Start date: September 2019

End date: August 2022

Start date: January 2019

End date: September 2019

Start date: September 2018

End date: August 2020

Marketing capability of Chinese exhibitors in overseas countries

Principal investigator: Jingna Wang

Start date: July 2018

End date: July 2021

Creating the tourist satisfaction index of China inbound tourism from Britain

Start date:

End date:

Socio-economic impact of Clean Sky 1

Start date: 2016

End date: 2017

Visitor forecasting for Shanghai Disney Resort: impact on Disney’s pricing strategy

Start date: 2015

End date: 2015

Start date: August 2013

End date: March 2015

Destination branding: tourism and events in northern regions

Start date: 2013

End date: 2016

Key factors for SME competitiveness in the context of globalisation

Start date: 2013

End date: 2015

Visitor forecasts of the Asia-Pacific region

Principal investigator: Professor Haiyan Song

Start date: December 2012

End date: Ongoing

Spatial disparities in SME productivity: evidence from the service sectors in England

Principal investigators: Dr Tiwasing Tiwasing, Dr Yoo Ri Kim, Katiuscia Lavoratori, Temitope Akinremi, Diletta Pegoraro

Publications

Two women talking around table

Gender, Entrepreneurship and Social Policy Institute (GESPi)

The Gender, Entrepreneurship and Social Policy Institute aims to influence policy and social change for inclusive development in the tourism, hospitality and service-related sectors by creating networks and pathways for knowledge exchange between stakeholders.

Past events

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Researchers

Jason Chen profile image

Dr Jason Chen

Associate Professor in Tourism and Events Management, Director of Postgraduate Research

Anita Eves profile image

Professor Anita Eves

Professor of Hospitality Management

Marion Karl profile image

Dr Marion Karl

Senior Lecturer in Tourism Marketing and Management

Bora Kim profile image

Dr Bora Kim

Senior Lecturer in Hospitality Management; Director of Studies, SHTM

Albert Kimbu profile image

Dr Albert Kimbu

Reader, Co-Director Centre for Sustainability and Wellbeing in the Visitor Economy

Yanning Li profile image

Dr Yanning Li

Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) Events, Organisations and Operations

Hongbo (Daisy) Liu profile image

Dr Daisy Liu

Senior Lecturer in Hospitality

Frankie O'Connell profile image

Dr Frankie O'Connell

Reader in Air Transport Management

Sumeetra Ramakrishnan (née Thozhur) profile image

Dr Sumeetra Ramakrishnan

Associate Professor

Brigitte Stangl profile image

Dr Brigitte Stangl

Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation in the Visitor Economy

Xuan (Lorna) Wang profile image

Dr Lorna Wang

Co-Director, Centre for Research on Ageing and Generations, and Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Revenue Management

Allan Williams profile image

Professor Allan Williams

Chair in Tourism and Mobility Studies

Shi (Tracy) Xu profile image

Dr Tracy Xu

Associate Professor in Hospitality; Co-Director of Future of Work Research Centre

Surrey affiliated members

Irem Bozbay profile image

Dr Irem Bozbay

Senior Lecturer in Economics

Cristina Figueroa Domecq profile image

Dr Cristina Figueroa Domecq

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos I

Ying Zhou profile image

Professor Ying Zhou

Professor of Human Resource Management; Director of Future of Work Research Centre

Postgraduate research students

Sara Dalir profile image

Sara Dalir

PhD researcher

Marietta Fragkogianni profile image

Marietta Fragkogianni

Postgraduate Research Student

Nusrat Jahan profile image

Nusrat Jahan

PhD Researcher

Yu Li profile image

Kevin Li

PhD Researcher

Wenliang (Max) Li profile image

Max Li

PhD Researcher

Tingyu Liang profile image

Tingyu Liang

PhD Researcher

Batilda Moshy

PhD Researcher

Laurensius Sandro Rero profile image

Sandro Rero

Postgraduate Research Student

Darina Svobodova profile image

Darina Svobodova

PhD Researcher

Sofie Voss profile image

Sofie Voss

Postgraduate Researcher

Yiqi Wang profile image

Yiqi Wang

Postgraduate Research Student

Zhenni Wu profile image

Zhenni Wu

PhD researcher

Xiaoyi Xu profile image

Xiaoyi Xu

Postgraduate Research Student

Yang Yu

Postgraduate Research Student